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It’s crazy to think that only five years ago, the Ford Mustang V8 put out 300 horsepower and put up 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. This year’s Mustang (technically a 2011) V6 will put out 307 horsepower and deliver 19 mpg in town and 30 mpg on the highway – not bad progress for half a decade.

Ford wanted to see just how far they could push the fuel efficiency of their new six-cylinder Mustang, and they set out to Bristol Speedway in Tennessee, and let the Mustang lap the oval circuit for as long as was possible on one tank of gas. After completing 1,457 laps (776.5 miles) at an average speed of 43.9 mph, the Mustang returned 48.5 mpg.

Keep in mind that the dreadfully slow speeds and controlled nature of the stunt means that these numbers have absolutely no bearing on the real world, but it’s a cool stunt nonetheless, and a sign of the times when the focus is on the fuel economy, rather than acceleration numbers of Ford’s pony car.

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Chad

People don’t buy Mustangs because they are cost-conscious of gas. They buy them because of the HP and acceleration. And because it is a Mustang, an American icon in the auto world. This green movement is destroying the car market.

truthguy

Impressive. Is this what the people at Hyundai are doing to get the outrageous mpg numbers they are claiming. They are claiming their Sonata 4Cylinder 274hp Turbo will give 34mpg on the highway. I find this nearly impossible to believe. What have they done to get these numbers if true? Why so much better than the competition. Have they taken out all the weight? Are they fudging the numbers? Or do they know something about engines that all the other automakers don’t?

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